The gift of giving: Generosity shines as Rotorua schools back Fill the Bus

You cannot beat the gift of giving.

It's something we attempt to teach children from a young age and in Rotorua it appears the message has well and truly hit home.

Yesterday the sixth annual The Hits Fill the Bus was held in support of the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the Salvation Army Foodbank and once again it was the schools that set the standard.

This year, a record 18 schools and childcare centres put up their hands to be included on the route and they were as generous as ever.

First up was Rotorua Primary School and the almighty collection of non-perishable foods collected there set the tone for the day.

Rotorua Primary School students mob the Grinch during The Hits Fill the Bus. Photo / Andrew Warner

Principal Fred Whata said Fill the Bus was an opportunity to give back to the community.

"It's absolutely brilliant," he said.

"It gives us a chance to pay it forward and give to others who are in need in our community.

"This year should be about that but every year and this is a small token of our appreciation for the community."

Image 1 of 19: Harmony and Jay Ward, both 12,

The youngest of those visited were the children at Best Start Early Childcare who, although a little unsure about the presence of the Grinch, added their own box of goods to the collection.

Best Start teacher Vanessa Fisher said Fill the Bus was an opportunity to teach the kids about the gift of giving.

"We just like to get involved with our community and give back to the community as much as we can.

"It's really exciting for the kids, we've done it a few times before and they love it. Our whānau are so responsive as well, they like to give. There's a real community focus at our centre."

Rotorua Intermediate students Gul Patel (left), 13, Dhrutika Patel, 13, Trey Sayers, 13, and Tianara Himona-Henare-Tauteka, 13, get behind Fill the Bus. Photo / Andrew Warner

At another stop, Rotorua Intermediate student Gul Patel, 13, said it was important to donate to events like Fill the Bus because it helped support the community.

Her classmate Dhrutika Patel, 13, said it was a "great opportunity" to help people in need this Christmas.

Trey Sayers, 13, said it was "a cool way to share the love on Christmas".

Tianara Himona-Henare-Tauteka, 13, said it was a good way to contribute and be part of the community.

One of the biggest hauls came from Westbrook School. There were bags overflowing with food and trays and trays of cans.

Glenholme School students had trolleys full of food to donate to The Hits Fill the Bus. Photo / Andrew Warner

Principal Colin Watkins said it was typical of the Westbrook community to get behind the cause.

"We get involved in Fill the Bus every year. It was tempting not to because life has gotten really busy but we reflected and this has been a really tough year on a lot of people.

"We discovered we needed to help a lot of our families who are in crisis as a school.

"When this came around it was a really good opportunity to help others. Our community has come to the party as usual, we have a lot of food and I'm not surprised. This is a giving community and when we ask them to put their hands up they put their hands up."

Westbrook School students with an impressive haul of donated food. Photo / Andrew Warner

The other schools included on the route were Glenholme, Malfroy, Otonga Road Primary, Lynmore Primary, Owhata, Mokoia Intermediate, Rotokawa, Ngongotahā Primary, Selwyn, Kaitao Intermediate and Western Heights Primary schools and Garden of Life education centre.

RDP_Xmas appeal_2020_v2